John Haenke

Hi, I’m John.

Fishing is my passion, and I’ve been lucky enough to make it my job too!

I’ve worked in the TV industry from the moment I left school, in between surfing and of course fishing!

In the early 80s, I started my own TV production company specialising in recreational fishing. I was lucky enough to shoot stories in remote places few people had heard of, let alone seen.

I produced one of the first prime time fishing shows ever to hit Australia’s small screen. Wildfish aired on SBS at 7.30 pm Tuesday nights, and was the highest rating programme on SBS at that time!

Straight after Wildfish I worked as Director of Photography for “Escape with ET until 2004, when I began The Fishing DVD – Fishing DownUnder. I wanted to bring the best presenters, guides and fishos to produce an informative and entertaining 2 hour DVD, containing lots of individual stories – a fishing magazine you could watch!

Fishing DownUnder #42, which was released in February 2016, was the last DVD in the series. Wildfish, Harros DVDs and all Fishing DownUnder DVDS are still available at FishingDownUnder.TV. Why not have a look and take a trip down memory lane?

After 12 years of being constantly away filming Fishing DownUnder, it was time for me to slow down and start easing up the production workload. I’m still producing fishing stories and promos for the fishing and boating industry, but I’ve just started a new venture - GUIDING!

There are so many Fishing options in the Hervey Bay area, as northern and southern species overlap here. Depending on the time of year you can catch Longtail Tuna, Golden Trevally Snapper tropical reef species, Barra and Threadfin Salmon. There are some great freshwater options nearby too.

I’m enjoy sharing my fishing knowledge with others, and I tailor my charters to each individual. I’m happy to take someone out for the first time to show them the basics, or guide very experienced anglers.

I’m a passionate fly angler, so if you want to get some basic instruction on the water, I’m happy to help get you started. I provide all the best quality fishing gear, Daiwa and Sage, but you can bring your own, and I offer half day and full day trips.

If you’d like to spend a day (or two or three) fishing with me check out my website: GuidedFishingDownUnder.com, and feel free to contact me anytime: [email protected]